|
|
|
March 6, 2000
Memorial artist wins national awardBy SARA SYVERSON Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM -- The designer of the Brown County Veterans memorial recently placed first in a national competition for public/civic memorials. C. J. Schmidtke was recognized by the Monument Builders of North America (MBNA) International Convention held early February in Las Vegas for his work. The memorial, which was dedicated last Veterans Day in a special ceremony at Brown County courthouse, is located on the courthouse grounds. Schmidtke received first place in the Expert Division (three or more years of experience) in the Public/Civic Memorial Category. The award marks the third time Schmidtke has been honored for his work in memorial design. The trophy was accepted for Schmidtke by Bloedel Monument Co., which was founded by Wally Bloedel and his wife, Vida Bacon, of New Ulm. "I really enjoyed working on it," said Schmidtke, referring to the memorial. "I'll admit there were a lot of headaches, but I learned a lot from doing it. That's for sure. The veterans memorials are special to me. I feel honored to be able to do that for the veterans." Schmidtke has been a member of the National Guard for 19 years. He is the Fire Direction Chief for C-Btry 1-125 Field Artillery of St. James. The MBNA holds a design contest every other year for American and Canadian designers. "They compete from all over," said Schmidtke, "I've noticed the techniques and the ideas are changing. The customization and the competition is a lot different with the design category." Schmidtke said some of the older hand techniques once done to enhance the stone are coming back, and are being combined with modern techniques. It took Schmidtke two to three days to decide on the design for the Brown County Veterans Memorial. The memorial's design includes a large shape of Minnesota made of stone. Brown County is outlined in the center. Three stone arches jut out from the Minnesota map, and each archs holds a rifle leading a globe. Atop the globe rests an eagle. Schmidtke started getting involved in art in high school. He began working for Bloedel Monument in 1983. "Wally showed me the basics," said Schmidtke, "Wally's really let me have a lot of freedom just to let me play and experiment." Schmidtke said he hopes he can continue in his field for as long as he can.
|